Ursus americanus and meteorology
by janemac24
Summary: [AU] Snowed into her apartment, Jane Rizzoli is all set for a boring day watching hockey in her pajamas. Then she meets her new neighbor, and things start to get a bit more exciting. Rizzles drabble.


_Prompt: Rizzles - new neighbors AU - snowed in_

_[Based on trope prompt game from Tumblr.]_

* * *

><p>Jane Rizzoli, still in sweatpants, stretches her legs over the armrest of her couch and pops a handful of popcorn into her mouth. There's been a record six feet of snow in Boston, and chances are good she won't be leaving her apartment until tomorrow at the earliest, but at least there won't be too many drug dealers out on the streets, either. It's a pretty sweet deal: the power's back on, the Bruins are playing in LA, and she gets a free day to hibernate.<p>

She's finished with her popcorn and about to start on the chips when there's a faint knock at the door. Puzzled, she stands to answer it, brushing crumbs off of her pajamas on the way over.

It's her new neighbor - the one who seems way too upper-crust to live in this building. She's gorgeous and expensively dressed, in a cashmere sweater that plunges just low enough to catch a glimpse of cleavage. (Not that Rizzoli's looking.) Despite being so put together, though, she seems awfully nervous. Her hands are twitching so violently that it seems like she's about to drop the plastic container in her hands, which would be a shame, given the amazing smell wafting out of it.

"Hi," she says, voice squeaking.

"Um, hi," says Jane, now even more confused. "Do you want to come in? You're Maura, right?"

The woman nods and follows her into the apartment. "Maura Isles," she replies crisply, schooling her features into a pleasant smile belied by her shaking left foot. "Doctor Maura Isles, actually. I recently graduated from Boston-Cambridge Medical School, and I'm now a forensic pathology resident."

"Doctor, huh? Cool," Jane remarks, arching one eyebrow. "I'm _Detective_ Jane Rizzoli. Just got promoted last month."

Maura nods approvingly. "Congratulations. That's very impressive."

"Thanks." Motioning for her guest to sit down - she's not as mannerless as her mother always claims! - Jane wonders aloud, "What's a doctor doing in a building like this?"

"I'd assume I moved here for the same reason you did: proximity to the police station," Maura replies. "My residency is in the Medical Examiner's office."

"No kidding."

Jane watches, amused, as Maura looks around her apartment, obviously working very hard not to let her lip curl. It's almost comical - the woman's face is so open and earnest that her distaste is hard to hide. Her apartment's not _that_ gross. Okay, so she hasn't vacuumed in a few days...weeks. Okay, it's a dump.

"Sorry about the mess," she says sheepishly. "I can get you a beer if you want - take the edge off your disgust."

"Oh, no!" Maura replies quickly. "I don't drink beer." _Who the hell doesn't drink beer? _"And your apartment is... well, I like the color scheme of your kitchen." Suddenly, the doctor looks down at the container in her hands as if she's only just remembering it's there. "I actually came here to offer you some food," she says nervously. "I'd prepared some croissants in preparation for my parents' visit, but their flight has obviously been canceled because of the weather, and I wouldn't want to let them go to waste."

She finally stops to take a breath, and Jane eyes the container with interest. _Croissants? _ They sound awfully hoity-toity and French, especially with Maura's pronunciation, but they smell like delicious buttery bread, and NESN has just announced that the puck will drop in under a minute for overtime. "I'll never turn down free food," she says with a grin. "Come on and sit down. Do you like the Bruins?"

"Bruins as in _Ursus americanus _or _Ursus arctos horribilus_?"

Jane stares, dumbfounded. "Bruins as in the hockey team."

"Oh, I've never seen hockey before, but I'd love to!" Maura excitedly informs her. "The fights are such a fascinating sociological phenomenon."

"Uhh...right," Jane mutters. "Um, have a seat, then."

The croissants, despite being hoity-toity and French, are delicious, and Maura isn't disappointed by her first hockey game. One minute into the five-minute overtime, the teams break out in a bench-clearing brawl after a dirty hit on Lucic.

She should be watching the game, but Jane can't keep her eyes off her neighbor, whose wide eyes and frequent exclamations of "_oh_!" make for a fascinating study. She might be the weirdest person Jane's ever met, and that's saying something.

But when the final buzzer sounds (3-2 Kings), she can't even be disappointed. Maura turns to her, smiling brilliantly, and declares, "That was thrilling!"

"You think that was thrilling?" she asks, snorting. "Just wait until they play the Habs."

"Who are the Habs?"

She spends the rest of the afternoon educating Maura about the ins and outs of the NHL, and by seven, her eager student has memorized the names and statistics of all the players and somehow managed to scrounge through the wasteland that is Jane's pantry to find the ingredients for homemade pizza.

"We should do this more often," she comments as the oven door closes and Maura sets their concoction on the counter. Almost like he's reading her thoughts, the weatherman announces another foot of snow coming that night, along with expected power outages.

"Meteorology is often inaccurate," says Maura, but there's a teasing glint in her eyes that's oddly sexy, and Jane finds herself staring.

"Well, yeah, the weather channel sucks," she replies, eyes never leaving Maura's, "but you never know. You might have to spend the night - cuddle together for warmth."

_Very smooth, Rizzoli._

Maura nods, completely serious. "Shared body heat can be very effective in preventing hypothermia. A study by the University of -"

Jane doesn't even hear the rest of it; her jaw's already on the floor at the mere thought of Maura Isles in her bed. It's been a while since she's gone to church, but she sends up a quick prayer that the weatherman's right for once.

And right on cue, the lights go out.


End file.
